


An Outside Perspective

by Howlingdawn



Category: Aquaman (2018)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Spoilers, aquaman spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-09-30 19:17:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17229689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howlingdawn/pseuds/Howlingdawn
Summary: AQUAMAN SPOILERS. The love of King Arthur and Princess Mera, as seen through the eyes of others.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another requested fic! This one I plan to expand upon in between writing other requests, so hopefully there'll be at least 3 or 4 more chapters

Atlanna was hunting for her next meal when the flash of the vortex caught her attention. It spat out a single person, limp and unmoving even as a mosasaur bore down on them. Atlanna shot forward, watching the creature as they both raced for the same target.

Atlanna beat it by half a heartbeat, feeling its jaws snap shut mere inches from her feet. She didn't let it rattle her, carrying the young woman to shore. As she laid her down on the sand, she suddenly recognized the bright red hair, and a mixture of relief and horror – mostly horror – shot through her. "Mera?"

Mera stirred with a groan. "Ow… Ar-"

Her eyes flickered open, then shot wide. She lifted herself onto her elbows, staring at Atlanna as if she were seeing a ghost. That was probably exactly what she was feeling, actually.

"Mera!" a man shouted.

Atlanna turned, confused – no one ever came in pairs. No one seeking the trident wanted to risk sharing the glory. But when she saw him, wearing the sodden clothes of humans, no hint of armor anywhere, searching frantically for Mera, she understood. There was no glory in this for them. Not as a main goal, anyway.

The last time she'd seen him, he had been three years old, crying in his father's arms. Now, he stood tall on the shore, taller than she had ever imagined he would grow. His hair was long, his facial hair dark and thick, and she could see a myriad of tattoos emerging from beneath his shirt. But her heart recognized him. Her heart would always recognize him.

And, thankfully, he recognized her. His step faltered, disbelief shining in his eyes.

She stepped forward, but he took half a step back, and she hesitated, not wanting to scare him. But she couldn't resist saying his name, saying it without any of the secrecy or longing or guilt she'd felt since he was three. "Arthur," she breathed.

As if some unconscious instinct recognized her voice after all these years, the fight fled from his stance. His shoulders slumped and he melted into her touch as she rose onto her tiptoes to hold him close. His hands came up to cling to her, and she closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief that she'd been holding in for decades.

Her baby was alive, and he was back in her arms. It was more than she had dared to even dream of since her exile.

Behind them, Mera grunted in pain as she tried to stand. Arthur broke away from Atlanna immediately, going to help her, and Atlanna saw immediately that his bulk was deceptive. He touched her with the utmost gentleness, taking her hand and cupping her chin once she was upright, scanning her for injuries. "Are you all right?" he murmured.

She nodded, wrapping an arm around her stomach. "I'm fine, Arthur. Just a little banged up."

"Come, you should sit," Atlanna said, guiding them inland. Arthur never let go of her hand, steadying her as she limped forward. A pterodactyl shrieked overhead, and they flinched closer together, free hands half-raised defensively.

"Relax," Atlanna soothed them. "It's the velociraptors you need to worry about."

"The-" Arthur looked skyward again, eyes widening. " _Dinosaurs_?"

Mera blinked. "What are those?"

"Creatures previously thought to be extinct for at least 65 million years," Atlanna explained, watching Arthur kick a boulder aside so Mera wouldn't have to climb over it. "The best-known ones were surface-dwellers, but some, like the mosasaur that nearly ate you, lived in the seas. But clearly, they managed to survive here."

"Does that include-"

"I'm afraid I haven't encountered a Spinosaurus, Arthur. Nor a Tyrannosaurus Rex."

He stuck his bottom lip out in a pout, and Atlanna chuckled.

"A what or a what?"

"Two particularly large predatory dinosaurs. The T. Rex is by far the most famous of the two, but the Spinosaurus had a massive sail and terrifying claws. Arthur was quite fascinated by both of them as a boy."

Mera shivered. "Perhaps it's best you haven't seen any."

"I suppose," Arthur allowed grudgingly. Mera patted his arm sympathetically.

After a few minutes, during which they told her of their journey to the trident, they reached the small clearing before the waterfall that concealed the trident. Atlanna extended her hand, and Mera took it, gritting her teeth as they helped her settle on a relatively flat boulder. Atlanna and Arthur stood on either side of the princess, each resting a hand on her shoulder.

Mera looked up at Atlanna. "Forgive me, but- why did you never return? If you've been alive this entire time…"

Atlanna smiled bitterly, looking from her ward to her son. "I tried. Many times, I tried to return to you. But the Karathen is real, and it guards Atlan's trident, which is the only way to escape this place. It was too powerful for me. But for you, Arthur…"

He shifted nervously, and Mera squeezed his hand. "You can do this," she assured him. "I know you can."

"It's good to be scared, my beautiful boy," Atlanna said, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from his face. "Fear is what keeps us humble. And alive."

Arthur leaned into Atlanna's touch. Mera brought his hand up to her lips, brushing them across his knuckles. "Go be a hero," she told him.

Finally, he nodded. Taking a deep breath, glancing back at them for a moment longer to gather his courage, he disappeared into the waterfall.

Atlanna watched him go, trying to quell her rising fear. She had finally gotten her son back, only to send him straight into the deadliest place on the planet.

"He's worthy," Mera murmured, and twined with her own nerves, Atlanna heard confidence in her tone.

She perched on the edge of Mera's boulder, taking her hand again. "Tell me about him."

Mera smiled, and her tone was full of affectionate exasperation. "He's reckless, impulsive, acting or talking before he thinks more often than not. But it's because he cares. He would rather act too fast and get hurt doing the right thing, than wait and watch innocents suffer."

Pride warmed Atlanna. "He sounds like a good man."

"He's also an imbecile."

Atlanna laughed. "But you love him anyway."

Mera started. "I- What? No."

Atlanna arched an eyebrow. "A blind turtle could see it. The comfort you get from each other, the way you lean on and protect each other. The way you look at each other, and hold each other."

"We just met!"

"There is no law saying how long love takes. It didn't take long at all for me and Arthur's father to fall in love."

Mera lowered her gaze, touching the palm of the hand Arthur had held. She closed it into a fist. "I'm betrothed to Orm, and should he survive this, that shall stand. I can't love Arthur."

"Nor could I love Tom, and yet Arthur, the result of our forbidden love, is our best chance at saving both our kingdoms and the world," Atlanna reminded her. "Sometimes, Mera, your duty to your people and your duty to your heart are the same thing."

Mera looked up to her, hope and hesitation warring in her eyes.

Movement distracted them. They turned to see Arthur emerging from the waterfall, clad in gleaming green and gold armor, Atlan's legendary trident held proud in his grip.

A childish grin broke across his face as he lofted the trident into the air. "Look what I got!"

Atlanna chuckled, and Mera buried her face in her hands with a groan. But in the cracks between her fingers, Atlanna saw her smile. She leaned over, whispering conspiratorially, "Go get your man, Mera."

" _Atlanna_!" she hissed, mortified.

Atlanna smirked, rising to meet Arthur. When he asked what they had been talking about, Mera cleared her throat and answered nothing, clearly trying to pretend their conversation hadn't happened. And for a few minutes, she succeeded, sticking close to Atlanna as they followed him and the Karathen back to Atlantis.

Then, without warning, Mera broke away from her. She grabbed a whale and followed the path of destruction to Arthur's side, unleashing a torrent of aquakinesis to protect him and clear the area. She dismounted and they started to talk. Drifting closer and closer to each other. Their expressions softening with every word. Silently, Atlanna willed them on.

Then, she did it.

Bathed in the light of explosions, Mera grabbed Arthur and kissed him, long and fierce, as his arms rose to hold her waist.

When they broke apart, they were both grinning, alight with joy.

As Arthur swam away with a twirl of ecstasy as he shot upwards, Atlanna swam up behind Mera. "Good job, Princess."

Mera sighed, scratching her cheek in an attempt to hide her blushing. "I have to go save Vulko. Excuse me."

As she swam away, she gave a little twirl of her own.

Atlanna smiled, satisfied.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BAAAAAACK! Between Shazam (I saw an early screening and lOvEd it, I hope to write at least one fic featuring Billy & Arthur) and Aquaman finally coming out on DVD, my love for this ship resurfaced. I might actually love them more now. They're just so PURE I can't handle it. Anyways, I hope I haven't lost my touch!

Vulko breathed a little sigh of relief when Orm disappeared into the ocean without a struggle. Despite their different views, Vulko had still mentored the boy all his life, had comforted him when his father ordered his mother executed. He had imagined that this day could only end in the death of one of the brothers, and he was relieved that Atlanna was alive to stop that. And, based on Orm's smile, their relationship would survive his treachery.

All things considered, it had been a good day.

Beside him, Arthur turned to Mera. "So, what do I do now?" he muttered.

Mera stood on Arthur's other side, mostly hidden from Vulko, but still he saw how close they stood, the way Mera's head bobbed happily as she looked up at him. "Be their king," she answered.

"Ooh, this is gonna be _fuuun_ ," he said, turning around to face the armies in the ocean around them.

And then, much to Vulko's shock, he kissed her. Just plopped a kiss right onto her bright red hair.

And, even more shocking, she didn't punch him for it. In fact, when Arthur moved forward to respond to the chanting people, he saw her grin, still exasperated by Arthur and his antics, but now full of an affection as bright as the sun shining behind them. In all his life, he had never seen Mera look like that, not at anyone or anything.

As if sensing his thoughts, Atlanna leaned in to whisper, "You should have seen their first kiss."

Vulko's eyes flew wide. "He kissed her and lived?"

" _She_ kissed _him_ ," Atlanna corrected.

_Well, I'll be damned._

The armies began to disperse, returning to their kingdoms, and Arthur came back to them. He stopped beside Mera. "You doing ok?" he murmured to her. "You took a bad hit not that long ago."

"I'm fine," she assured him, resting a hand on his arm. "What about you?"

"I'll live," he said, rolling his left shoulder with a slight wince. "Nothing some booze and a lot of sleep couldn't cure, probably."

Mera rolled her eyes. "That's not medicine, Arthur."

"No, but it tastes better."

This sort of joking had been full of barbs the last time Vulko saw them together, but now their sharp edges were gone. Now their voices were soft, loving beneath the sarcasm, smiles making clear that they weren't out to hurt each other. When Mera's gaze wandered, her expression sobering as she looked to where Orm had disappeared, Arthur sobered with her. He nudged her hand, a silent invitation, and she took it, slipping her hand into his.

"Come," Vulko said when Mera had had a moment to steady herself. "Your palace awaits, King Arthur."

Arthur made a face, scratching his hair. "That's gonna take some getting used to. King Arthur's a legend, not… me."

Mera nodded at the trident. "You are a legend, Arthur."

Arthur looked at it, still making that weirded out face.

Mera shook her head. "Get used to it, you dork," she said, leading him into the water. They slipped into the ocean, and for the first time, Arthur truly looked like he belonged. Wearing the vibrant skinsuit of Atlanteans rather then the baggy dull fabrics of humans, and surrounded by his family, he truly looked like the ocean was his domain.

Once they were inside the flagship, Mera rested her hand on Atlanna's arm. Vulko smiled at the sight of them together again, remembering how Mera had loved and admired Atlanna after her own mother's death. "We should get you some proper clothes."

Atlanna nodded, turning to her son and stretching up to her tiptoes. He bent down, and they touched their foreheads together. After a moment, she kissed his cheek. "I'll be right back," she promised in a soft whisper. He nodded in response, and only then did Atlanna let Mera lead her away.

With them gone, Arthur suddenly looked uncertain, glancing around the intersection they stood in. "Uh… I've never been in one of these things before."

"Luckily, I've been here many times," Vulko said, careful to keep his tone humorous but not teasing. Arthur had a long path ahead of him, with exactly three steadfast, unconditional supporters behind him, and he didn't need to feel like even one of them was even slightly mocking how little he truly knew of the underwater world. "Come. There is a ready room just off the bridge where we may talk."

Vulko led the way, swimming to the room that had been Orm's not along ago. It wasn't big, but its gleaming white color and bank of windows made up for that. Arthur swam straight for the windows, peering out and watching the ocean rush past like a child on a trip, completely bypassing the large round table in the center of the room. Vulko went to clear it of Orm's personal effects, gathering things like medals and mini statues together and depositing them beside the door to be cleared away later.

He did, however, leave behind the picture of Atlanna the former king had kept. Orm had followed steadfastly in his father's footsteps after her death, but his love for her had never diminished.

"So… what do I do now?"

Vulko waved a hand to activate the desk's holographic projection. Arthur drifted to his side, glancing from the readings to Vulko's hand movements and back again. He pointed at a list of rapidly changing numbers. "The casualty reports are coming in."

Arthur's face fell. "Oh."

Vulko rested a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You don't have to deal with this if you don't want to."

"No," Arthur said, forcing his shoulders to straighten, shrugging off Vulko's hand. "I'm king now. This is my job, right? I've gotta do it."

Vulko replaced his hand. "You do," he agreed. "But not alone. These reports will not be done for some time yet; they can wait for Atlanna and Mera to return. We will help you."

"Is that… normal?"

Vulko smiled sadly, hating that Arthur sounded so uncertain. It wasn't entirely his fault, after all, that he knew so little of their ways that he was terrified of being judged. "Yes. I was Orm's vizier, and I will continue the role with you. Additionally, no one will judge you for receiving help from your beloved mother, and least of all from the woman you love."

Arthur flushed. "I- I don't- we don't-"

"Please," Vulko said. "Even Orm never kissed her. You, Arthur Curry, have won a special place in Princess Mera's heart that no one else has ever dreamed to occupy."

"So she doesn't- he doesn't- they don't love each other?"

"They are friends," Vulko answered. "They grew up together, and have known since they were children that they were to be married. It would not be a loveless marriage, but no, I do not believe they feel _romantic_ love for each other. However, you would likely be better off asking Mera that question."

"Probably," he agreed. He crossed his arms. "How does that work now? Is she still betrothed to Orm?"

"I can honestly say I do not know," Vulko said, tilting his head as he pondered that. "This particular situation has not happened in my lifetime. Technically speaking, Mera is betrothed to Atlantis's king, in order to bond and strengthen both of our kingdoms. That can still be accomplished by marrying you, or it may still be accomplished by marrying Orm if he is released from prison. This decision may be up to her father."

"And he will surely push for Orm."

Vulko spun, surprised to see Atlanna and Mera floating by the door. "How much of that did you hear?" Arthur asked.

"Enough," Mera said. "He won't do it. Because of the trident, he will accept you as Atlantis's king, but not my husband, nor the father of his grandchildren."

"Because I'm a half-breed."

" _No_ ," Atlanna said firmly. "You simply have a mixed heritage. It is no different than being half Hawaiian and half white, Arthur."

"Except it is," Arthur said. "I'm the first of my kind, Mom. We don't even know if I _can_ live underwater full time because of my human DNA. Hell, I don't even know what Atlantean booze tastes like, and I'm supposed to be your king. I'm an outsider, a human, and any kids I may have would carry the same label."

Atlanna continued to argue the point, but Vulko knew Arthur and Mera had a point. Politically speaking, Mera marrying Arthur made the strongest move, and royal inheritance was a game of power. Additionally, due to her status as Nereus's only child and heir, she stood to be queen whether she married or not – marrying a prince would mean marrying below her station. But Arthur's human blood would be seen as a weakness, one never before present in an Atlantean king. In light of that, if Orm were released, his pure Atlantean blood might make him seem a stronger match in Nereus's eyes, despite his lower rank.

It was all a game, a competition for power, and there was no way at the moment to predict Nereus's next move.

He cleared his throat, drawing the royals' attention. "There will be time to decide this later," he reminded them. "The wedding is not scheduled for a year yet. The important thing now is dealing with the aftermath of the battle."

"Of course," Mera said, looking relieved to have a new topic to talk about. As an adult, she had always accepted her fate to marry the man her father chose, but Vulko remembered how she had fought it as a child. Such a bitterness would not entirely disappear no matter how much she matured, and to be reliving the decision now, this time _knowing_ one decision would rip her forever away from the man she loved…

Vulko stayed silent about the topic throughout the rest of the trip, until they arrived in Atlantis and Atlanna led Arthur out to the palace. When Mera tried to follow, he lightly touched her arm, making her stop and turn to face him. "Yes?"

"It will be all right," he assured her quietly.

Mera smiled with that childhood bitterness. "You can't know that, Vulko."

"Do you want to marry Arthur?"

"Yes," she said instantly. Her eyes widened slightly, and she scrambled to backtrack. "I mean, if it's between him and the man who used my love of Atlanna to sneak a tracker onto my wrist, then yes, I choose Arthur."

For now, Vulko let the awkwardness pass unmentioned. "Then you will marry Arthur."

"My father would never allow it."

"Your father loves you, Mera," Vulko reminded her. "He may have wanted the war against the surface, but he would have thrown that away if Orm killed you. Rare is the king who would put his daughter over his political ambitions – I am sure that if you talk to him, he will see that Arthur is the best match for you."

Mera sank to the floor, letting it bear her weight as she bit her lip. "You really think that?"

"I do." Vulko reached out, cupping her cheek and smiling. "You have changed much since then, but in some ways, you are still the fierce little girl who fought tooth and nail to get her way in all things. You have accepted that duty will prevent that at times, but in this case, what you want and what your duty is are the same thing."

To his surprise, she didn't fight the statement. She just smiled a little, ducking her head into his touch. "Atlanna told me something similar."

"Perhaps it is because we both know our favorite princess very well."

She laughed, bouncing back into the water's embrace. "You do know how to flatter a girl, Vulko."

"I try my best, Princess. Oh, and if you try to hide your true feelings for Arthur from me again, I _will_ sneak into your room with a box of hair dye."

Mera gasped, her hand flying dramatically to her iconic red locks. "You wouldn't _dare_."

Vulko beamed with blinding faux innocence and swam away.


End file.
